Douglas Cooley, 26, of Apopka, Orange County, Florida, United States used to work at Discovery After School, an after-school daycare in Apopka. He is accused of chatting with who he thought was an adult with access to a girl aged 15 on social media and via cell phone.
Cooley allegedly offered to pay $100 for protected sex with the purported girl for 30 minutes and an additional $50 for unprotected sex. Unbeknownst to him, he was actually chatting with an undercover detective.
When Cooley arrived at the undercover location, he was arrested by detectives. It was part of a sting operation held from September 19-26, 2023, which involved the sheriff’s departments of four Florida counties namely Hillsborough, Lake, Orange and Polk and the police departments of three Florida cities namely Haines, Lakeland and Tampa.
During the operation, detectives posed as children or guardians of children on mobile apps, online dating sites and social media platforms to investigate adults trying to meet children online for sex. Including Cooley, six suspects showed up to the undercover location.
After Cooley’s arrest, he was fired by Discovery After School. He was booked into the Polk County Jail in Bartow, Polk County and charged with human trafficking, traveling to meet a minor for sex, use of computer to solicit guardian of child for sex and use of two-way communication device to commit a felony.
“Our primary concern is to determine whether there were any inappropriate interactions between Mr. Cooley and any student under our care,” Discovery After School spokesperson told FOX 35 News. “We want to assure parents, guardians and the entire Discover After School community that we take these allegations seriously and are doing everything within our power to address them swiftly and transparently.”
CONAN Daily 